Horse Show!

 August 25th was the much awaited date; the event, the Horse Show at Banbury Cross Therapeutic Equestrian Center.  The Horse Show served the purpose of a type of Open House for Banbury and also as a time when our riders can show off their accomplishments of the year to all their family and friends.  Faith and I volunteered for the day to help, and arrived early to finish set up before the actual classes commenced.

Though not there main fundraising event, Banbury did have a bake sale table and the famous "Walking Tacos" and hot dog stand.

 Soon the time had arrived and the first class was saddled up and riding. All the volunteers and riders received horse show T-shirts, so there was a lot of blue around.  It was a little confusing sometimes :)

 There was a total of 11 classes that day!  Each of them had 3-5 riders in them and ran for about 20 minutes or so.  

 It was so much fun watching the different riders, especially when they would go by the fan stands!  So proud of their riding and all they could do.

 The riders at Banbury come in all shapes and sizes, some of them so small that when they dismount it takes them a couple seconds before they reach the ground :)

 Faith and I not only sported matching shirts but Cowboy hats as well.  Oh, we were not trying to confuse anybody at all!  Nuhuh!   :P  

 The sun was brilliant and at the beginning of the day there was not a cloud in the sky. 

 At noon, we had a break from classes, and there was a driving demonstration with Dolly, the adorable Quaterlinger!  Dolly and her cart were all decked out in sunflowers for the special occasion, so sweet!

 Then our program director and her adorable little girl were able to go for a ride too!

 They had SO much fun!  All to soon the drive was over and classes were beginning again.

 As the afternoon wore on there were a few clouds that passed over, making the desert like arena somewhat bearable.    

 Most of the time we were having so much fun though, that we did not notice the blazing sun, and if we did, it didn't do to much to dampen (or fry) our spirits :)

 Faith and I have enjoyed working at Banbury so much, helping the children and interacting with the horses too.

There are so many personalities (both human and equine) there and it has been exciting and challenging to learn how to interact with each and everyone.   We are definitely looking forward to working there as long as the Lord leads and doing our best in whatever we do.

~Chs

The New Mac 'n' Cheese

It's late, you just walked into the house after an all afternoon shopping trip, or after spending all day working hard in the garden.  Dinner is due in less than an hour, and the last thing you want to do is spend more time on your feet in the kitchen.  Your mind grasps after something easy and quick to make.  Macaroni, Spaghetti? 

  Neither.  That is, not if it's August and you have three gardens that the LORD has blessed with abundance this year.  Instead of searching in the cupboard for starchy noodles, you step outside to your summer "pantry" and see what's available in the garden.   In no time at all the beginning of a delicious stir-fry is sizzling on the stove.  A stick of butter and a couple handfuls of Beans, both green and yellow wax make a good start (of course it's always helpful if the Beans were already snapped the day before :).

While the Beans are cooking you snatch a yellow and green Zucchini, and that Eggplant the neighbor gave you the other day and slice them.  (note: we found that Eggplant is not good in stir-fry, it disintegrates too fast)  When the Beans feel just right, you toss in the sliced Zucchini stirring them around, then you quickly slice a couple Banana Peppers and throw them in too.  After letting it all cook down together, you add the finishing touch of some more butter, two or three crushed Garlic cloves and a few snips of some fresh Cinnamon Basil.  You give it a stir and take a whiff.  Ahh!  Delicious!  Your main dish is finished, and while it was cooking the side dishes were accomplished in no time at all.

A plate of glowing garden-fresh sliced Tomatoes,

Some wonderful colorful Beets, tasty Beets greens salted just so, and of course a large fresh picked salad!!  There you are, a delightful quick garden bounty dinner.  

The garden provided everything for this dinner................................

... except for the chickpeas :)

~Chs

Junk, Treasures, and Fresh Produce :)

Last weekend we hosted our second annual (and maybe last annual :) garage sale, and of course produce and bake sale.

We had over 10 individuals and families contribute, and had a wide variety of objects for sale, including an antique rocking chair,

wooden tennis rackets,

bowling balls,

 a golf club set,

and a large variety of small stuff, including books, kitchen utensils, decorations, etc.

Mr. Reiche also had rows of license plates for sale, as well as a trailer full of miscellaneous tools and other "old stuff".

The produce table was much more extensive then last year, and also had a lot more traffic.  Our Cucumbers were cleared out the first day, and our Zucchini didn't last much longer either.  A favorite (besides the Cherry Tomatoes) was Faith creative Fresh Salsa basket, complete with a complimentary recipe.

Always a hit, the Bake sale table added on a couple new items this year, including blueberry muffins, blueberry jams, and pretty Mixes-in-a-jar by our friend Megan. 

Despite some rain on Thursday, we carried on and had a wonderful weekend.

That is, when we weren't fighting the wind :)

: fresh dill :

While we maybe wished that a little more might have sold, the fellowship we had with friends who helped out was priceless.

So, although the Garage sale is over, Faith and I will be putting out a produce (and occasionally bake sale) table at the end of our driveway when we have spare time and veggies.  So if you are in the area, look out for the signs!!  :)

~Chs

Wordless Monday: Harvesting Garlic

Family Reunion

Every year in August our family attends the Harrison Reunion (Mom's mother's family) and every four years or so, we get the exciting responsibility of hosting the reunion.  Usually we have it at a park in Port Huron, but this year due to some unchangeable circumstances we decided to have the Reunion in our own back yard!

Well at least it would have been in our backyard, if it hadn't been quite so soggy.  So instead, the night before the reunion, you would have found us frantically cleaning out our garage - a garage that hosted 60 plus chicks.  We did manage to get everything out, and Saturday morning cleaned and swept and cleaned some more.

By 11 or so everything was just about ready; the tables were set up, the grill warming, and the relatives arriving.

We managed to pack just over 60 people in our garage for prayer.  You never know what you can do until you try.

After prayer the families spread out, some in the garage, some in the large tent on the deck, and a few others in the little tent with the grill.

By the time we were all done eating the rain and drizzle had stopped, leaving everything wet, but not too wet for some die-hard volleyball enthusiasts.

After a couple rounds of volleyball and other random games, we headed out front for group pictures.

The Learned family. ( Mother's maiden name)

All of those in the first generation.  We did get a whole group photo, but unfortunately my camera's battery died at that point. :(

Pictures finally over with (it takes a while with such large families) we headed out back for our annual water balloon toss.

It is always a pretty fierce competition, and this year was no exception.

We did three rounds, each time with a different winner (though the top three were always up there) so of course we had to have a match between the three winners for the ultimate victor!

"two sisters enjoying some treats" :P

When the balloons were all used the volleyball continued.

We actually had some impressive competition going with quite a few volleys back and forth.

Slowly but surely the afternoon wore away and the relatives began to say goodbye and trickle out except that is, for the volleyball players, who of course had to finish up their games.

Despite the rainy weather, the reunion was a success and I believe everyone enjoyed themselves.  As for us, I think I can say it was worth cleaning out the garage. :)

~Chs